Form Survey 4 Survey 4 Hydrogen Survey 2008 End Users

HYDROGEN SURVEY 2008
END USERS
Using Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI), the company will be contacted. The
following protocol will be used.
Interviewer:
May I please speak to the person who is most responsible for energy-related decisions at
this location? [INTERVIEWER, SEE HELP SHEET FOR POSSIBLE TITLES FOR THIS
SEGMENT]
Hello, I’m ___ calling from _____ on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy. The DOE
is sponsoring a survey about energy sources with business leaders in your sector. Each
company we contact is an important part of the survey process and we urge you or
someone within your organization to participate. While your responses are voluntary,
every response is valuable in this survey because the results will be used to help design
the hydrogen education program for the Department of Energy. Are you the person most
responsible for energy-related decisions at this location?
Your responses are confidential, and neither you nor your company name will be
associated with the results.
Before we begin, I would like you to know there are both technical and opinion questions
in the survey. Tell me what you think or believe, but keep in mind that “no opinion” or
“don’t know” are perfectly acceptable responses. The survey takes about 12 minutes to
complete.
Interviewers will also have the following information to provide to the respondent:
• OMB Control Number
• Hydrogen website URL
Also note that, if asked at any point during the survey, the interviewer should tell the respondent
that there are no trick questions.

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Opening Question
Q1. Please rate your familiarity with hydrogen and fuel cell technologies:
A. Not at all familiar
(You know nothing about hydrogen and fuel cell technologies)
B. Slightly familiar
(You’ve heard about hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, read an article or watched a
television feature about the technology, or participated in casual conversation about the
technology)
C. Familiar
(You’ve had limited experience with hydrogen and fuel cell technologies; researched the
subject for school, work, or personal interest; or learned about the technology in a class
or workshop)
D. Very familiar
(You consider yourself an expert in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies)
Q2. I am going to read several job titles; please tell me which one applies to you.
A. Fleet manager
B. Plant or facility manager
C. Operations manager
D. Financial manager
E. Energy manager
F. CEO
G. Something else (specify) ________________
H. Don’t know/Refused
Q3. How many years have you held this position?
A. Less than one year
B. Between one and five years
C. Over five years
D. Don’t know/Refused
Ask if respondent is in the “transportation” category
Q4. How many vehicles are in the ground-based fleet operated by your organization or agency?
A. Less than 100
B. 100-1,000
C. 1,000-10,000
D. Over 10,000
E. Don’t know/Refused
Ask if respondent is in the “needs uninterrupted power” or “large power requirements”
categories
Q5.

What is the average annual cost of electrical energy for your organization or agency?
A. Under $100,000

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B.
C.
D.
E.

$100,000 - $1 million
$1 million - $2 million
Over $2 million
Don’t know/Refused

Technical Knowledge Questions
T1-4 I am going to read several statements. After each one, please tell me if you believe the
statement is true, if it is false, or if you don’t know
A. True
B. False
C. Don’t know/No opinion
T1. Hydrogen gas is toxic
T2. Fuel cells produce electricity through hydrogen combustion
T3. Hydrogen is lighter than air
T4. Hydrogen has a distinct odor
T5. Fuel cells can provide power to which of the following?
A. Your home
B. Your car
C. Your laptop computer
D. None of these
E. Or, all of these
F. Don’t know/No opinion
T6. In which state or condition can hydrogen be stored?
A. Chemical compound
B. Liquid
C. Both of these
D. Or, neither of these
E. Don’t know/No opinion
T7. When using pure hydrogen, fuel cell vehicles generate electricity, water, and what else?
A. Carbon dioxide
B. Nitrous oxides
C. Heat
D. Or, all of these
E. Don’t know/No opinion
T8. Hydrogen can be produced using which of the following sources of energy?
A. Natural gas
B. Sunlight
C. Organic matter
D. Or, all of these
E. Don’t know/No opinion

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Opinion Questions
O1-7. I am going to read some characteristics of fuels or power supplies. Please rate the
importance of each characteristic for your facility, using a scale of low, medium, high, or no
opinion.
A. Low
B. Medium
C. High
D. No opinion
O1. System installation cost
O2. System maintenance cost
O3. Fuel cost
O4. Dependability
O5. Safety
O6. Environmental impact
O7. Uninterrupted availability
O8. How would you feel if your local gas station also sold hydrogen?
A. Frightened
B. Uneasy
C. At ease
D. Or, pleased
E. Don’t know/No opinion
O9. Please tell me if you believe the following statement is true, if it is false, or if you don’t
know.
A. True
B. False
C. Don’t know/No opinion
O6. Hydrogen is too dangerous for everyday use by the general public.
O10-12. Next, I am going to read several statements about potential benefits of using hydrogen
as a VEHICLE FUEL. For each, tell me if you disagree, are neutral, agree, or if you have no
opinion?
A. Disagree
B. Are neutral
C. Agree
D. No opinion
O10. Using hydrogen will reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil
O11. Using hydrogen will reduce emissions and improve air quality
O12. Hydrogen is as safe to use in my car as gasoline and diesel fuels
O13-O18. For the following applications, please rate the safety of using hydrogen and fuel cells,
in comparison with technology in use today. Is it not as safe, equally as safe, or safer to use
hydrogen and fuel cells for …
A. Not as safe
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B. Equally as safe
C. Safer
D. No opinion
O13. Personal cars and trucks
O14. Buses and commercial vehicles
O15. Large power plants
O16. Small portable devices such as laptop computers or cell phones
O17. Onsite power for the home
O18. Onsite power for buildings such as hospitals and schools
O19. If fuel cell vehicles were available today at a cost competitive to gasoline internal
combustion engine vehicles, would you buy/lease or recommend buying/leasing them for your
organization’s vehicle fleet?
A. Yes
B. No
C. Don’t know
O20. If stationary fuel cells were available today at a cost competitive to traditional power
systems, would you buy or recommend buying one to help meet your facility’s power needs?
A. Yes
B. No
C. Don’t know
O21. I am going to read several statements. Please select the one that describes how you feel
about using hydrogen and fuel cell technology to meet your organization’s energy needs.
A. I know enough to seriously consider it if products are available
B. I am considering it but need more information
C. I’m going to wait and see how the market develops
D. There’s no way I’ll consider it anytime soon
E. Don’t know/No opinion

Information Sources
I1-8. The next question is about your use of information sources that can help you make
decisions about energy costs and safety. How often do you use each of the following sources for
energy information? Would you say never, sometimes, or frequently?
A. Never
B. Sometimes
C. Frequently
D. Don’t know
I1. Teachers and schools
I2. Friends and family members
I3. Environmental and conservation groups
I4. Utility companies or brokers, for example, gas or electricity providers
I5. Industry/trade associations or non-profit organizations
I6. Federal government
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I7. State government
I8. Local government
I9-14. Finally, how often do you get energy information from different types of mass media?
Would you say that you never, sometimes, or frequently get energy information from…
A. Never
B. Sometimes
C. Frequently
D. Don’t know
I9. Television
I10. Radio
I11. The Internet
I12. Newspapers and general interest magazines
I13. Science and technology magazines and journals
I14. Business or trade magazines
I15. Have you received information at your workplace concerning hydrogen and/or fuel
cells?
A. Yes Æ Skip to I17
B. No Æ Continue
C. Don’t know Æ Continue
I16. Would information be valuable to you?
A. Yes
B. No
C. Don’t know
I17. Would a “Hydrogen 101” class, or training at a conference, be of value to you?
A. Yes Æ Continue to I18
B. No Æ Skip to A1
C. Don’t know Æ Skip to A1
I18. Which would you prefer?
A. A workshop in conjunction with a major conference I am already planning to attend
B. Stand-alone workshop in my area
C. Either one
D. Don’t know/No opinion

Audience-specific Questions
A1. Does your organization use hydrogen and/or fuel cells for any purpose?
A. Yes Æ Continue
B. No Æ Skip to A3
C. Don’t know Æ Skip to A3

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A2. What is the PRIMARY function of the hydrogen and/or fuel cells used by your
organization?
A. To power buses
B. To power vehicles other than buses
C. To provide stationary on-site power
D. To provide power for small portable equipment
E. To provide back-up power
F. Other [Specify]
G. Don’t know/Refused
A3. Does your organization have plans to use hydrogen or fuel cells in the future?
A. Yes Æ Continue
B. No Æ Skip to A5
C. Don’t know Æ Skip to A5
A4. What is the time frame for your plans to use hydrogen or fuel cells?
A. Within the next year
B. 1-5 years
C. Over 5 years
D. Don’t know

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